I've messed with theirs....they've messed with mine. I wouldn't go back to my old iPhone for anything. They love theirs...however my daughter admits she would love to have live wallpapers like I do for different seasons. Some great Halloween ones, and I showed her the many Christmas ones. She wants the Frosty the Snowman and Roudolf n so bad.

PP...it's because of some of your claims like ....it is 3 times faster than everything else...it's not. It is no faster than anything else. My wife and daughters are certainly no quicker than my S3.

The camera on my S3 takes amazing pics too....no less quality then our two I5's. Yet you act as if the quality is like comparing an old Polaroid to the latest digital.

I'm in Ft Myers. Heading back on Wednesday. Next time I'm down I'll hit you up and we can play some. Orlando is about a 3 hour drive though...might be worth it...your iPhone will probably be in the trash can by then!!! Ha

How is the music player? I really love the Ipod integrated into the phone. I heard there are some good apps on the android app store that are pretty good.

How would you rate the quality? When I held the phone, it felt really delicate and light, but the phone was connected to this alarm-cable in the store so I couldn't hold it properly and maneuver it around.

I heard that there is bloatware on the phone? How big of an issue is this?

How would you compare the screens on the iphone retina display and the S3? Which has a crisper picture? I know that the S3 has an HD screen unlike the iphone, but that does not always equal a better display. Like the Nexus 7, which has an HD screen, yet the color saturation and brightness is far inferior to that of the Ipad 2-3 and the kindle.
And does the Android app store have Racquet tune? (An app that measures string tension?

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The iPhone for me wins because of the ease of integration w/ itunes. I do more streaming than anything so it's not as critical. The sound quality is about the same. Winner: iphone

The iPhone feels like high quality because is weighs more but in truth I like that the GS3 is made of plastic because when I drop it I'm not as worried about it breaking as much as I have in the past with iPhones. You get used to the light feel of the GS3 quickly. Winner: GS3

Bloatware is something that's on any Android (unless you go with the Nexus route). You can disable those bloatware Apps so they don't show up (or delete them if you root your device). I have no need to root my phone so I just disable them and its like they don't even exist. Honestly the iPhone has bloatware too (apps that can't be uninstalled that come standard on the iOS too).

The screens are hard to breakdown. There is no question that the Retina display of the iPhone is crisper, clearer and prettier to look at than the Super Amoled HD screen on the GS3. The issue still comes down to the fact that the iPhone screen is just too small and is hard to deal with when web browsing. The screen on the GS3 is large, proportionate and although not as crisp or clear it gets the job done. It is HD but I'd still the say the iPhone is prettier to look at just not much of it. Winner: Push (do you want size or clarity?)

The brilliant minds at XDA Developers have done it again; this time, a user by the name of alephzain claims to have discovered a vulnerability in multiple Samsung devices that gives access to all physical memory. The potential is huge: attackers could use malicious apps to wipe data and brick devices or, more likely, quietly access user data.

Alephzain first tested the vulnerability out on a Samsung Galaxy S III to root his device, but says the flaw also exists on the Samsung Galaxy S II, the Samsung Galaxy Note II, the Meizu MX, and potentially other devices that feature an Exynos processor (4210 and 4412) and use Samsung kernel.

Performance-wise the S3 is very powerful and it does everything I want on my iPad plus more. It has a nice number of apps from the Samsung Appstore and you will find a lot of the apps featured in iOS on it too.

The S3 is a great phone but there are some downsides to it that I can't overlook.

1. The touch screen is too sensitive. Buttons are being pressed without contact with the screen and it can cause a bit of frustration.

2. The menu and return buttons beside the Home button are also too sensitive and placed in a location that is easily touched by the base of your thumb. This leads to a lot of accidental Go Back's.

3. The volume buttons and power button are placed in locations that are too easily pressed. Accessibility is good but when I want to grip my phone firmly, I end up pressing the power button a lot. You can avoid this by holding the phone slightly different but that's not the point of good ergonomics.

1 is not something that can be adjusted in settings, maybe they can release an update to do so but for now I just have to deal with it.

2 and 3 would probably be solved with a good case for the phone. I'm still looking around the one but really, I shouldn't need a case to cover some inconveniences in the phone.

I like the iphone 5 a bit more. The retina display is really nice, and it's a reasonable size for carrying in your pocket.

I'm glad that the larger phones/mini tablets are available however, for those who want them. I think the note 2 is impractical as a phone, but if you have a manbag or purse, no problem. Any kind of specialized bag works, but it's far too large to carry in your pocket. Unless you rock cargo pants/shorts wherever you go.

Different size screens and devices are cool, depending upon one's needs and preferences.

I like the iphone 5 a bit more. The retina display is really nice, and it's a reasonable size for carrying in your pocket.

I'm glad that the larger phones/mini tablets are available however, for those who want them. I think the note 2 is impractical as a phone, but if you have a manbag or purse, no problem. Any kind of specialized bag works, but it's far too large to carry in your pocket. Unless you rock cargo pants/shorts wherever you go.

Different size screens and devices are cool, depending upon one's needs and preferences.

I could never consider going back to an iphone unless they increase the screen to at least 4.5 inches. The iphone 5 screen is just way too small for my taste, the text, watching YouTube videos, playing games, viewing photos can be a pain sometimes on an iphone and I would know my old phone was an iphone 4. Also the note 2 fits easily in a pocket unless your wearing ultra tight, skin tight jeans.

I just don't like the galaxy s3. I don't have a bias either way. I'll use whatever product feels right to me. Aside from the smaller screen, the 5 just seems 'right.' The construction seems far better and the interface far more polished.

The curved corners, the plastic, the large-ish, silly looking icons on the s3 just don't seem 'right.'

I just can't stand the idiotic fanboys on both sides who get butthurt if you don't choose 'their' phone.

I will admit that I am an iPhone fan (note not an Apple fanboy in that I don't go out and buy everything that Apple makes, I just have the iPhone). But if Apple don't start pulling its finger out and start making iPhones which are ground breaking once again, like they used to be, I may just give it the flick. Their last 3 iPhones, while all being more advanced than their predecessor, are not ground breaking enough. Samsung and Google (android) are leaving it behind. The iPhone needs to come up with an alternative to flashplayer so to allow users to use products that are flashplayer reliant, it needs a bigger screen, its battery life needs to be longer and it needs widgets. People love widgets. People want to customise their phone and unfortunately the iPhone lacks the customisation specs of the Galaxy.

Having said that, at this stage, I'm still in favour of the iPhone, albeit slightly, because overall it works better and looks better. But if current trends continue, it won't be too long before Samsung/Google leave Apple in its wake and I start looking for another type of smartphone. It is an understatement to suggest that Apple needs to implement some big ticket items in its next iPhone.

I will admit that I am an iPhone fan (note not an Apple fanboy in that I don't go out and buy everything that Apple makes, I just have the iPhone). But if Apple don't start pulling its finger out and start making iPhones which are ground breaking once again, like they used to be, I may just give it the flick. Their last 3 iPhones, while all being more advanced than their predecessor, are not ground breaking enough. Samsung and Google (android) are leaving it behind. The iPhone needs to come up with an alternative to flashplayer so to allow users to use products that are flashplayer reliant, it needs a bigger screen, its battery life needs to be longer and it needs widgets. People love widgets. People want to customise their phone and unfortunately the iPhone lacks the customisation specs of the Galaxy.

Having said that, at this stage, I'm still in favour of the iPhone, albeit slightly, because overall it works better and looks better. But if current trends continue, it won't be too long before Samsung/Google leave Apple in its wake and I start looking for another type of smartphone. It is an understatement to suggest that Apple needs to implement some big ticket items in its next iPhone.

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I have to agree. My 5 has developed some interesting quirks since the 6.0 update and reminds me of my 10 years with blackberry. I'm missing my 4S which was so flawless and perfect.

There is no loyalty in the fanboy fone game. My problem is I tried the S3 for 3 weeks and just did not like the experience at all. I'm going to look at W8 but Microsoft is also ******* me off lately in work related ways. Quality control has gone out the window and metro UI sucks rusted sack of balls.

I have to agree. My 5 has developed some interesting quirks since the 6.0 update and reminds me of my 10 years with blackberry. I'm missing my 4S which was so flawless and perfect.

There is no loyalty in the fanboy fone game. My problem is I tried the S3 for 3 weeks and just did not like the experience at all. I'm going to look at W8 but Microsoft is also ******* me off lately in work related ways. Quality control has gone out the window and metro UI sucks rusted sack of balls.

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I've had two different stints with the S3 (ICS & now JellyBean) and the latest has completely changed the game for me. The integration of Google Now has really helped the Android experience for me. I was so bored with my iphone 5 and its 2007 interface that it didn't take much to woo me away but I'm glad I gave the S3 another shot because it's a keeper for me.

I hacked google now into my last droid and hated it. Everyday it would alert me about stuff that I didnt really need to know about it.

Its all about the OS. I just prefer the iOS over everything else. Apple obviously has others catching up to them, so I am not as interested in the latest and greatest phones (they are all pretty powerful now) as I am the OS updates coming down the line.

It's amazing how the Blackberry did so many things better than iPhone or S3. Seriously. So many things. The ability to create auto playlists without iTunes BS I really miss. Blackberrys music player had so many cool little features that I don't have with even 3rd party apps I've bought trying to find these features.

Typing on touchscreen blows. On any phone. I hate it. Autocorrect sucks!

You could say that yes, my 5 has developed some quirks since the last ios upgrade that has made me a sad panda lately. I also don't like the synching mechanisms of both phones and miss the Blackberry way. I like to have my own copies of contacts not in some BS cloud BS. I don't wanna use google sync. I want my data here safe with me in my possession protected by a password and my arsenal of Basalt stacks.

Anyhow. Just venting for no reason. I remember our CEO had the first blackberry and how revolutionary it was just to have corporate email mobilized. Now it's a big media con game sucking the collective life out of all of us.

Attention span theft. Rampant.

I could sit here and name all the big 2's shortcomings but I don't give a fuch.

It's amazing how the Blackberry did so many things better than iPhone or S3. Seriously. So many things. The ability to create auto playlists without iTunes BS I really miss. Blackberrys music player had so many cool little features that I don't have with even 3rd party apps I've bought trying to find these features.

Typing on touchscreen blows. On any phone. I hate it. Autocorrect sucks!

You could say that yes, my 5 has developed some quirks since the last ios upgrade that has made me a sad panda lately. I also don't like the synching mechanisms of both phones and miss the Blackberry way. I like to have my own copies of contacts not in some BS cloud BS. I don't wanna use google sync. I want my data here safe with me in my possession protected by a password and my arsenal of Basalt stacks.

Anyhow. Just venting for no reason. I remember our CEO had the first blackberry and how revolutionary it was just to have corporate email mobilized. Now it's a big media con game sucking the collective life out of all of us.

Attention span theft. Rampant.

I could sit here and name all the big 2's shortcomings but I don't give a fuch.

There is something to be said for apps. I wish the other two could garner the support they need and make a game of it. Watching the phoan race over the past year has been like watching two drunk gorillas in a slapping fight...albeit entertaining, it essentially goes nowhere. The innovation is stagnating and the smaller players fail to get a foothold to compete with said gorillas.

FINALLY got out of my iPhone and into an Android, in the form of LG Optimus G.

You have no idea how gratifying it is to be able to use the Bluetooth technology, you know, the same technology that's already on the iPhone to transfer files instantly. I mean, to think that I can finally use a simple feature like bluetooth like it was intended, enough said.

Apple's continued practice to use iTunes as the ONLY method of file transfer is thoroughly annoying.

The quad-core Snap Dragon processor is stupid fast, along with its 2gigs of RAM. And thank you Android/LG for allowing me to put music/multimedia/etc. files on a separate SD card (comes with the phone). This allows me to load up my phone with music and such without worrying about bogging down overall performance.

iPhone continues to be a great gadget for newbies and the non-tech-savy users. But for those of us who wants more customization options, the iOS is severely limited.

Now I'm just waiting on the Jelly Bean update and watch the quad-cores go nuts!

Anyone ever lose all their music off an iPhone for no reason? Or all your contacts? I'm still trying to understand what happened with these 2 recent incidents. Thankfully I had a contacts backup in Outlook and recovered 90% of my contacts. Pretty sure it was an iCloud iTunes fail of some sort but I still don't know.

Anyone know why Apple refuses to address the inability to read Excel XLS files after the iOS 6 upgrade? Even across different file apps, you CANNOT open XLS files on iPhone iOS 6. You can open Excel 2010/2013 XLSX files but not older ones. There are threads on Apple support about this one but no one cares to address it. It's seriously an epic failure on Apples part after the 6.0 upgrade that you can't read XLS files. This is huge for a lot of important people such as myself or Fedace.

It's these additional things that have bummed me out on iPhone lately.

To lose data with no valid explanation just really freaks me out. I'm sure it was user error on my part since I have no idea how to work POS iTunes properly. Recently also I couldn't drag and drop mp3 files and luckily found a solution to log out and log back in to iTunes.

So yeah I'm getting burned out on the 5 for a few big reasons but the apps make me stay. I can't live without many of them. It truly goes to show that indy developers mean so much to every platform.

iPhone is so very far from perfect based on my own subjectives. Every phone is imperfect at this point in the game. Apple has lots of work to do. But I won't leave yet.

Anyone ever lose all their music off an iPhone for no reason? Or all your contacts? I'm still trying to understand what happened with these 2 recent incidents. Thankfully I had a contacts backup in Outlook and recovered 90% of my contacts. Pretty sure it was an iCloud iTunes fail of some sort but I still don't know.

Anyone know why Apple refuses to address the inability to read Excel XLS files after the iOS 6 upgrade? Even across different file apps, you CANNOT open XLS files on iPhone iOS 6. You can open Excel 2010/2013 XLSX files but not older ones. There are threads on Apple support about this one but no one cares to address it. It's seriously an epic failure on Apples part after the 6.0 upgrade that you can't read XLS files. This is huge for a lot of important people such as myself or Fedace.

It's these additional things that have bummed me out on iPhone lately.

To lose data with no valid explanation just really freaks me out. I'm sure it was user error on my part since I have no idea how to work POS iTunes properly. Recently also I couldn't drag and drop mp3 files and luckily found a solution to log out and log back in to iTunes.

So yeah I'm getting burned out on the 5 for a few big reasons but the apps make me stay. I can't live without many of them. It truly goes to show that indy developers mean so much to every platform.

iPhone is so very far from perfect based on my own subjectives. Every phone is imperfect at this point in the game. Apple has lots of work to do. But I won't leave yet.

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I hate iTunes sync. It is only 1 way. So if you have no Contacts on your computer and a bunch on your phone, do a sync and watch your Contacts disappear. I don't bother with iTunes for Contacts. I sync with my Gmail contacts, I recommend you do the same. Gmail is the GOAT of contacting.

Apple's continued practice to use iTunes as the ONLY method of file transfer is thoroughly annoying.

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I use Dropbox for transferring files to my phone. In general I just let it do its thing and keep the file in the cloud, but if I know I want to access something locally on the device (for instance, if I'm going abroad where roaming costs are prohibitive) I'll flag it as a favourite so that there's a local copy.

I use Dropbox for transferring files to my phone. In general I just let it do its thing and keep the file in the cloud, but if I know I want to access something locally on the device (for instance, if I'm going abroad where roaming costs are prohibitive) I'll flag it as a favourite so that there's a local copy.

This works fine for me, both from an email attachment and Dropbox. I'm on 6.0.1. Maybe it's specific to certain features, or versions of .xls?

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Why should the users have to resort to using a 3rd party app when the phone already has the technology built in?

If the phone didn't have the technology and a 3rd party app steps in to better the phone, that's fine with me. But the iPhone does have that technology, it's just that Apple decided to lock the file transferring capability of bluetooth in order to force its users to continue to use iTunes as the only way to transfer files.

Why should the users have to resort to using a 3rd party app when the phone already has the technology built in?

If the phone didn't have the technology and a 3rd party app steps in to better the phone, that's fine with me. But the iPhone does have that technology, it's just that Apple decided to lock the file transferring capability of bluetooth in order to force its users to continue to use iTunes as the only way to transfer files.

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You shouldn't have to. Locking down the bluetooth is a weakness of the iPhone. It'll be interesting to see what they do if bluetooth becomes the mainstream NFC solution.

Dropbox is a good way of transferring files, and is available on both iOS and Android. I felt it worth a mention.

You shouldn't have to. Locking down the bluetooth is a weakness of the iPhone. It'll be interesting to see what they do if bluetooth becomes the mainstream NFC solution.

Dropbox is a good way of transferring files, and is available on both iOS and Android. I felt it worth a mention.

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Don't get me started with NFC and iPhone 5. One of the main reasons why I decided against the iPhone 5 was because: It's a phone with last year's technology sealed in a pretty package marketed for fanboys/fangirls who don't bother to see what else is out there. In the year 2012, the iPhone finally gets a 4inch screen, and 4G LTE. Well it's about time, considering specs like that was the industry standard in 2011. No way will I pay for a "2012" phone when it's just a 2011 phone in a pretty package.

Lastly, iPhone lacks NFC, another industry standard. Setting the stage for an iPhone 5S. So Apple fanboys/fangirls can spend another round of money for these "extra" features that should have been included with the original release.

I'm in the UK, and NFC is far from adopted over here. We're talking miles off. A lot of the scepticism focuses around the fact that the back end is expensive for the retailer to install. I've read a number of articles speculating that bluetooth may be a more likely option, should the consumer decide NFC is required (there are plenty of arguments that it really isn't that much quicker than chip-and-pin).

Assuming you live elsewhere, has it actually become commonplace? And if so, what percentage of shops have the technology in place? (just a rough estimate based on your own experience will do me)

Actually, I'd quite like to get you started on NFC if you have a moment. It can be unrelated to the iPhone

I'm in the UK, and NFC is far from adopted over here. We're talking miles off. A lot of the scepticism focuses around the fact that the back end is expensive for the retailer to install. I've read a number of articles speculating that bluetooth may be a more likely option, should the consumer decide NFC is required (there are plenty of arguments that it really isn't that much quicker than chip-and-pin).

Assuming you live elsewhere, has it actually become commonplace? And if so, what percentage of shops have the technology in place? (just a rough estimate based on your own experience will do me)

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I think if I were to give you the actual % of shops that is NFC capable will reflect negatively on my argument. With that said, NFC readied shops are not common yet. However, I will mention many retailers are adopting the technology and it should be a common practice soon enough (as in, probably before the next iPhone is released). In downtown SF, there are already a number of NFC readied shops.

The LG Optimus G can use NFC to automatically put the phone into a particular profile. Touch the phone over one of those NFC tags and the phone automatically goes into car/airplane/silent modes.

I'll knock the iPhone down even more, I can finally watch flash based videos, enough said.

So far:
I noticed the limited number of apps for DLNA applications, pay or free. Installed a DLNA client, Linada. Now I was able to detect a DLNA server device and play music off of it. However, Windows Phone won't allow you to download music or video from DLNA server to its Media Library. It only allows you to download pictures from one.

Playing back music via DLNA resulted in a few popping/cracking sounds that I don't get from my PC or other phones. I was prompted to install OS updates for the phone, so I'll test the music playback again later.

Only took a few photos but they definitely look cleaner than the ones I took with my Motorola Atrix 2.

Eager to test the battery life. 2000mAh vs iPhone 5's 1400mAh so I'm expecting decent battery life. It exposes your body to less signaling than the iPhone, at least.

The wireless charging seems to work. Phone quality was good, but my friend couldn't hear me when I had my earbuds plugged in even (I'll have to test it again).

I've been able to figure out how to use this phone without the manual. The tiles will take a bit of getting used to, but no biggie. The additional screenguard works, so no need to clean that off so far.

The apps might be an issue (750K for iPhone, 700K for Android, 150K for Windows Phone) but if phone makers take notes from the Lumia 920 and Microsoft can produce a decent OS then Windows Phone could be a viable alternative to iOS and Android.

Lumia 920 Specs are here. While iPhone 5 and GS3 fanboys can pony up $199 for an upgrade, I got the Lumia 920 upgrade for $99.

I might be able to try NFC with my friend's GS3. It should make my iPhone co-worker go "WTF did you just do?!?!"

Ok, I'm an idiot. Found tons of free apps to backup contacts on iPhone to CSV.

I still think the blackberry way of synching with outlook is way easier.

I know. Who cares. I don't.

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My company had Blackberry for a few years. When things worked, it was fine. But supporting BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server) got to be a mess, especially with our old Exchange server. And when RIM goofed, their goofups would result in down time measured in days.

RIM screwed themselves up over the past 3 years. The industry is moving towards secure, but more open architectures for mobile devices. RIM underestimated the iPhone's popularity and blew a chance to further gain inroads with individual consumers. They then kept trying to rollout expensive phones with outdated hardware. The 2 CEO structure was a disaster with the company too slow to adapt, move out quality products, or entice/reassure their customers. BB10 has been delayed by over a year. I believe BB10 is not backwards compatible with BB7, so anyone buying devices now will have to replace them when/if BB10 rolls out.

My company had Blackberry for a few years. When things worked, it was fine. But supporting BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server) got to be a mess, especially with our old Exchange server. And when RIM goofed, their goofups would result in down time measured in days.

RIM screwed themselves up over the past 3 years. The industry is moving towards secure, but more open architectures for mobile devices. RIM underestimated the iPhone's popularity and blew a chance to further gain inroads with individual consumers. They then kept trying to rollout expensive phones with outdated hardware. The 2 CEO structure was a disaster with the company too slow to adapt, move out quality products, or entice/reassure their customers. BB10 has been delayed by over a year. I believe BB10 is not backwards compatible with BB7, so anyone buying devices now will have to replace them when/if BB10 rolls out.

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I was an epic poster on Crackberry for many years. In early 2010 well before RIM was having issues and I still hated the iPhone I predicted RIM would be the next Palm by Q4 2013. People lambasted me and I even got myself banned for epic trollery accusations.